


Free Day (Halloween)

by sugarandspace



Series: Flufftober 2018 Drabbles [31]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood Wears Makeup, Established Relationship, Fluff, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-13 20:44:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16479443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarandspace/pseuds/sugarandspace
Summary: Alec followed the sound to the bedroom, stopping at the door when he saw his boyfriend in front of the full body mirror doing what appeared to be finishing touches to his costume.Costume that threw Alec off more than any other costume probably could have.--In which Malec has a date night and they head to a Halloween event. Magnus wears a rather unexpected costume and won't let Alec leave the loft until he has some sort of a costume too.





	Free Day (Halloween)

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Alec stepped into Magnus’ loft to find no hint of his boyfriend. They were supposed to go on a date to an outdoor Halloween themed event, and they had agreed to meet here at six o’clock. Alec checked his phone to make sure he was in time, and saw that it was only a few minutes before six. 

“Magnus?” Alec called as he walked further into the loft.

“In the bedroom,” came the muffled reply. 

Alec followed the sound to the bedroom, stopping at the door when he saw his boyfriend in front of the full body mirror doing what appeared to be finishing touches to his costume. 

Costume that threw Alec off more than any other costume probably could have.

Magnus was wearing a dark purple button up shirt, tucked into his black pants. The shirt had some sort of silver decorations on it, subtle until the light caught them. He wore matching silver necklaces, hanging low on his chest. The clothes weren’t anything out of the ordinary, but there were two things that Alec hadn’t expected to see.

Magnus was tying the strings of a long velvet cloak, black as night, the end of it almost touching the floor. The cloak was dramatic and gave off a mysterious vibe, which was hindered a bit by what Magnus was wearing on his head. 

A pointy hat with a wide trim. 

Alec didn’t know what to say, standing at the doorway with his mouth slightly open, looking at the unexpected sight. 

“What do you say?” Magnus asked, turning around to face Alec so that Alec had a proper look at his face that was previously covered by the wide trim of the hat. His eyes were lined with black, a hint of silver sparkling amongst the makeup as well. Most of his hair was hidden under the hat, a few strands hanging over his forehead - purple streaks highlighting the usual black.

“You’re dressed as a… Warlock?” Alec asked.

“Yes,” Magnus said, doing a little spin which caused his cloak to flare around him. He looked proud of his costume. “I mean what would be more fitting?”

“I guess you have a point,” Alec agreed, his surprise melting to amusement. 

“You’re not wearing a costume,” Magnus noted, his brow furrowing a little as he took in Alec’s black jeans and a jacket. 

“It’s not really my thing,” Alec said, shrugging his shoulders. “I’ve never dressed up for Halloween.”

“Never?” Magnus asked, shocked by Alec’s confession.

“I mean it’s not a popular thing amongst Shadowhunters,” Alec explained. “Some go to mundane or Downworlder parties but you know that those aren’t my thing.”

“We have to fix this!” Magnus exclaimed and moved Alec so that he was standing in front of the tall mirror, Magnus standing next to him, a thoughtful look on his face. “What do you want to dress up as?”

“You don’t have to-” Alec started but Magnus interrupted him quickly.

“Nonsense,” he dismissed and continued quickly. “We could do a couple costume?”

Magnus moved his hands in the air, the normally graceful act of doing magic looking somewhat comical when combined with his accessories. Alec was so focused on Magnus’ movements he almost missed what he was doing. 

Almost. Because the as soon as he turned his attention back to his own reflection, he couldn’t ignore the two big cat ears on top of his head. 

“No.” He said immediately, shaking his head.

“C’mon Alexander,” Magnus said, clearly amused. “You could ride on my broom.”

“Take them off,” Alec demanded, finding the situation more humiliating than amusing. 

Magnus seemed to sense that, since he snapped his fingers and the ears were gone. 

“Thank you,” Alec breathed. 

“Oh no, don’t thank me yet,” Magnus said. “We need to figure out a costume that would fit you better. Oh, now I know!”

Alec was almost scared to look in the mirror, but he did nevertheless. He watched as his clothes turned all white, wondering what Magnus was up to. It wasn’t until he saw two tall wings sprouting from his back that he realised what he was supposed to be.

“An angel,” Alec said, looking less than impressed while Magnus was grinning next to him. “Really?”

“What would be more fitting, my angel?” Magnus asked. “Me going as a warlock and you going as an angel. Both are such clever costumes, don’t you think?”

Alec just shook his head in response. 

“Just out of curiosity,” Magnus asked as he turned Alec’s clothes back to normal and made the wings disappear. “Which bothered you more, the wings or not wearing anything black?”

Alec rolled his eyes but smiled, unable to keep a straight face. “Can we just go already?”

“I’m not leaving until you have some sort of a costume,” Magnus said. “At least something. You want it to be simple, right? Something that doesn't’ attract much attention?”

“Yes,” Alec agreed, because he knew that it was pointless to fight Magnus in this. There was no way he was going to be able to leave this loft without being somewhat dressed for the occasion.

Magnus looked thoughtful for a moment until he seemed to get an idea. 

“Sit down,” he said and pushed Alec backwards until the backs of his legs hit the bed behind him. He did as he was told and sat down on the soft bed, watching as Magnus disappeared into the bathroom.

Alec didn’t know what to expect but he was surprised when he saw Magnus returning a moment later with a colorful palette and a large bag.

“Oh no no no,” he said as he watched Magnus sit down next to him and lay the different types of makeup on the bed between them. “I don’t want makeup.”

“Do you trust me?” Was all Magnus asked, and Alec thought about it for a moment. Wearing makeup seemed ridiculous. On Magnus it looked gorgeous, but even though Alec had never tried it before, he just knew he would look stupid. But on the other hand, Magnus hadn’t made him wear the costumes he didn’t like, so there was no harm in giving it a go. It seemed like it would make Magnus happy, if the pleading look in his eyes was anything to go by, and Alec was confident he would take it away if Alec didn’t like it. So with a final deep breath he nodded.

“Okay.”

“Close your eyes,” Magnus said, smiling encouragingly. “And don’t open them before I say so. I don’t want you to see it before it’s done.”

Alec nodded, closing his eyes. He tried to imagine what he looked like, but found himself unable to visualize what kind of marks the different swipes and pokes left behind. In the end he gave up, deciding to just focus on Magnus’ gentle touches on his face.

“All done,” Magnus said eventually, when Alec was starting to feel like he could fall asleep then and there. Carefully he opened his eyes, facing Magnus who looked at him with obvious interest in his eyes, curious to see Alec’s reaction.

Alec turned his head to face the mirror, and what he saw made him stand up and walk closer to the mirror to be able to examine it closer. He knew Magnus was good with makeup, his face proving that nearly every single day, but to actually witness him do it - with absolutely no magic - made Alec appreciate the skill a lot more. This was art.

“What do you think?” Magnus asked, a hint of nerves in his voice.

Alec looked at his face, at the small shadows on his cheeks making his cheekbones look sharper, similar shadows around his eyes making them look sunken. His face looked almost skeletal, but it was done with subtle makeup, far from a full face paint. The black made his face look even paler, his black hair and clothes and the rune on his neck a perfect contrast. 

“It looks so cool,” he found himself saying, looking briefly at Magnus’ proud face before finding his eyes drawn back to the mirror.

“You’ll go out wearing that?” Magnus asked, his tone hopeful.

Alec thought for a moment before he responded. “Fine.”

-

The event was packed with people. It was a fair like event with a lot of little stands, all offering Halloween themed food or games or trinkets. Alec thought he would have felt more out of place since he was wearing makeup out in public, but he felt like he blended in with the odd looking crowd. He was used to people looking at them when he was out with Magnus, but it felt odd to have some of those looks aimed at himself specifically. 

Alec wondered briefly if Jace had mentioned anything about taking Clary here, or if they were going to see Izzy and Simon - until he decided that he’d cross that bridge if he got to it. He was too happy to care, walking around the brightly lit fair with his hand in Magnus’, the air filled with easy conversation.

They were sitting on a bench sharing a candy apple Magnus had insisted Alec gave a try when a small girl stopped in front of them. The girl couldn’t be much older than Madzie, and she was dressed into a bright pink princess dress, her dark curls topped with a crown.

“Well hello there your majesty,” Magnus greeted the girl and bowed his head, making Alec smile and the child giggle. “Where are your parents?”

“Right there,” the girl pointed at a couple that was standing ten feet from them talking to some other couple. “They are talking about boring adult stuff.”

“Ah, adults do that sometimes,” Magnus nodded seriously.

“I like your hat,” she told Magnus before looking at Alec. “You look scary.”

Alec didn’t know how to respond, feeling bad for scaring the kid. But he didn’t have to, because Magnus replied to the girl.

“I’ll let you in on a secret, little one.” He said. “He’s really the kindest skeleton I’ve ever met.”

“He looks good scary,” the girl replied and looked at Alec again. “Halloween is a scary day. Your face looks really cool.” 

“Thank you,” Alec replied and smiled at the girl’s compliment.

“Can you do magic tricks?” The girl asked Magnus, her attention back on him. Alec bit the inside of his cheek trying to suppress a smile, wondering what Magnus was going to answer.

“Well of course I can,” Magnus said, and really, did Alec expect anything less. “I am a warlock after all.”

“Show me!” The girl asked practically bouncing where she stood.

“Hmm,” Magnus thought for a moment until he handed the candy apple to Alec. He reached his hand forward, behind the girl's ear as he said, “Abracadabra.”

Alec watched the blue sparks glow as Magnus conjured a small red rose behind the girls head, retracting his hand and showing the flower to the girl.

“Looks like you have flowers in your hair,” Magnus said as he gave the rose to the girl who looked at it in awe.

“Sophie, you can’t just wander off like that!” A woman’s voice said from behind her, her worried looking mother appearing next to the girl, her father in tow.

“I’m sorry if she bothered you,” the father said, looking at both Magnus and Alec. 

“Not at all,” Alec assured the man and Magnus nodded next to him.

“It was an honor to meet a real princess.”

“And he’s a real warlock!” The girl told her parents excitedly. “He did real magic!”

“Is that so?” Her mother asked her, looking at Magnus and Alec. “Again, we are sorry, and we hope you have a good rest of your night.”

“You too,” Magnus replied and they nodded at the small family, watching as they walked away while the girl explained the trick to her parents, gesturing animatedly and showing them the bright red rose. 

“I never thought that I would be saying this,” Alec started, turning his attention back to Magnus. “But that was cute, watching you perform magic to that girl.”

“Look at you, praising me for breaking the rules,” Magnus teased, bumping his shoulder to Alec’s.

Alec shrugged his shoulders. “Weirder things have happened tonight.”

“True,” Magnus said as he stood up, giving his hand to Alec as they continued walking through the fair. “I’m surprised you agreed to wear the makeup.” 

Alec ate the rest of the apple and threw the stick to the bin they walked past while figuring out how to phrase his thoughts.

“It’s new,” he started. “I’ve never done anything for Halloween and I’ve never tried makeup. I still don’t think that it’s really my thing, but it was fun to try it tonight. And I quite like Halloween, I’ll let you drag me into another event next year.”

“Are you going to wear a costume?” Magnus asked, lifting his eyebrows.

“Maybe,” Alec replied teasingly. “Are you going to dress up as a warlock again?”

“I don’t think so,” Magnus said. “It’s boring to repeat a costume two years in a row. I have to wait and see what feels right. This costume was something I knew I needed to wear this year, for nostalgic reasons.”

“What were those reasons?” Alec asked curiously.

“We used to do this with Ragnor back when people first started celebrating halloween like this,” Magnus explained, gesturing the people around them in various kind of costumes. “We thought it was funny, a twisted kind of irony when we had to dress so unlike we usually do to be able to be ourselves amongst the people.”

Alec didn’t miss the way Magnus’ shoulders dropped when he mentioned his old friend, but a small smile remained on his face - a sad smile but a smile nonetheless. He didn’t know what to say so he settled for holding Magnus’ hand a bit tighter, and walking a bit closer. Magnus continued talking, his posture straightening slightly.

“That’s so great about Halloween,” he said. “People can be whoever they want to be and express themselves in a way they usually can't. For some it means they can be more like themselves.”

Alec thought about the statement, and found himself thinking that a man he was a year ago wouldn’t have worn makeup to such a public place, he wouldn’t have let anyone apply it to his face in any situation. Compared to year ago, he had grown more open, and the way he looked right now was a great example of that. He’d learnt so much and let go of so much he had been taught. He was letting more of himself show to the people around him, and while he wouldn’t exactly call wearing makeup ‘being more like himself’ he would describe his willingness to try new things, his open mindedness, and his ability to not care about what others thought about him with those words. 

“I think I get it.”

“I knew you were going to like Halloween,” Magnus said smugly. “I already have so many good ideas for what we can dress up as next year.”

By the angel, this Halloween wasn’t even over yet and Magnus was already planning next year. Alec wondered if he’d still like the idea of Halloween a year from now, and feared what costumes he would have to go through before that. 

But for now he rolled his eyes and laughed, deciding to focus on the moment and the date they were having.

**Author's Note:**

> I did it? I survived Flufftober? The stubbornness paid off and I wrote almost 24k in a month? I didn't think I would be able to do that tbh :D Was it fun? Yeah. Was it taxing? Heck yes, I can't wait to be able to fix my sleep schedule (who am I kidding I'm going to be reading more fics now that I finally have time again). Most of the time when I finally found time to write it was so late I was supposed to be in bed already, great example being today. It's currently almost 1AM and I need to be up at 6AM... But yes, totally worth it! I'd definitely do it again. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's been reading these and a special thanks to those who've left kudos or nice comments! You've made my day every single day in October! :)
> 
> [You can also find me from Tumblr! :)](http://sugarandspace.tumblr.com)


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